First built in the mid-6th century during the Northern Qi, the Mutianyu section is older than the better known Badaling section of the Great Wall. During the Ming dynasty, under the supervision of general Xu Da, construction of the present wall began, building over the previous wall. In 1404, a pass was built in the wall.[1] In 1569, the Mutianyu Great Wall was rebuilt and still today most parts of it are well preserved. The Mutianyu Great Wall has the largest construction scale and best quality among all sections of Great Wall.

In 1568, the Longqing Emperor appointed Qi Jiguang as governor and military administrator of Jizhou, Changping and Baoding to help train the guards in the area.[2] Qi Jiguang helped to maintain the 2000-li section of the Great Wall, which was finished in 1572. Qi Jiguang, upon noticing that the wall had no abutments, suggested the installation of abutments to officials. His suggestion was approved.

In 1983, the State Council of the People's Republic of China approved the restoration of the Mutianyu Great Wall. In 1985, the Huairou District local government established the management of the Mutianyu Great Wall Tourist Area under the leadership of Mutianyu village. The area was opened to select tourists in 1986, and was chosen to be one of Beijing's 16 scenic spots in the same year. In 1987, the Great Wall was selected as a UNESCO World Heritage site. In 1988, the tourist area was opened to all visitors. In 1992, Mutianyu was rated as the best tourist spot in Beijing.[2]

In May 2007, selectmen from the towns of Buckland and Shelburne, Massachusetts, in the United States, inked a memorandum of agreement with officials from Mutianyu making the two the first known "sister villages".